Drive-In Movie Theaters Around Michigan That Would Love to See Your Face Right Now

The Cherry Bowl Drive-In is waiting for you in Honor (Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

While regular movie theaters and cinemas are going through the financial ringer during the coronavirus pandemic, drive-ins are seeing a good old-fashioned renaissance. When you consider that drive-in theaters come with social distancing essentially baked in to the movie-going experience, this makes perfect sense.

If you’re itching to catch a flick on the big screen again, Michigan has plenty of decent spots to do so. Here are just a few of them:

1. Cherry Bowl Drive-In (Honor)

Situated in Northern Michigan very near Traverse City, the Cherry Bowl Drive-In has been reeling ‘em up since 1953. And if you pay them a visit, they promise to do their best to make you feel like you’ve been transported back to the ‘50s (without the overt racism, that is). The experience comes packed with plenty of nostalgia, from the classic cartoons played in between features, to the ‘50s-style dining experience and vintage mini golf course.

Check them out and see what’s playing right here: www.cherrybowldrivein.com.

2. Getty Drive-In (Muskegon)

Another old-timey drive-in theater (is there any other kind?), Muskegon’s Getty Drive-in has been entertaining the good folks of West Michigan since 1944. Back then, it was called the NK Drive-In and featured a single screen; these days, it falls under the Celebration Cinema umbrella, which is owned and operated by Studio C (formerly known as Loeks Theatres), and boasts four screens, the latter three having been added in the ‘70s.

Take a video tour of the Getty Drive-In right here, and find out which four (!) movies are on tap right now at celebrationcinema.com/cinemas/getty-drive-in.

3. Capri Drive-In Theater (Coldwater)

A relative newcomer as compared to the others mentioned here, the Capri Drive-in Theater opened along highway US-12 just west of Coldwater back in 1964. They started off with a single 150-by-75-foot screen — which they say is one of the largest still in use today — and added a second, 80-by-40-foot screen in the ‘80s. Drive-in aficionado Don Sanders and his wife Susan listed The Capri as one of “10 Drive-Ins Worth a Detour” in a piece published in The New York Times in 2001, noting that it is still owned and operated by the original owners, the Magocs family.

Learn more of their story and see what’s showing next here: www.capridrive-in.com.

4. US 23 Drive-In Theater (Flint)

Sitting just south of Flint, the US 23 Drive-In Theater has been entertaining audiences for seven decades. From the time it opened in the ‘50s up until 2009, it was owned and operated by the Warrington family. Since then, an outfit called The Theater Group (a truly original name) has been running the place and made the necessary updates to keep it alive. The drive-in features three screens and has a light-up neon sign that is famous in its own right.

Give them the once-over and find out which movies are on deck here: www.us23driveintheater.com.

-LTH